State Flag of Florida

The Florida flag is white with a red diagonal cross going through the whole flag. There is then also the state seal superimposed in the middle of the flag. Florida's flag was officially adopted as the civil and state flag on November 6, 1900 and updated on May 21, 1985.Florida’s flag represents the land of sunshine, flowers, palm trees, rivers and lakes. The seal features a brilliant sun, a cabbage palmetto tree, a steamboat sailing and a Native American Seminole woman scattering flowers.

Meaning of the Flag

The design of the state flag of Florida features a red saltire that symbolizes the cross on which St. Andrew was crucified. It is thought that this feature was added to the flag to commemorate the state’s contributions to the Confederacy. The state seal of Florida is also a feature of the flag and is superimposed in the center of the saltire.

Colegors of the Flag

The predominant colors of the flag of Florida are red and white. The flag features a red saltire over a white field. The flag also features many other colors in the state seal of Florida located in the center of the flag, with colors including green, blue and gold.

History of the Flag

Throughout Florida’s history, many banners and flags have been used. This includes the Cross of Burgundy used in St. Augustine and the Crown of Castile used in Pensacola. When the state went under the control of Great Britain in the 19th century, the original union flag was used for a short period of time. Spain gained control of Florida in 1783 and two years later, a new battle flag was selected and used in Florida. This flag featured a tri-band design of red and gold.

Through much of the 18th century, Florida did not have an official state flag. The Lone Star and Stripes of Texas was used as a provisional flag during the 1860s. When Florida became a member of the confederacy, three versions of the Confederate flag were thrown throughout the state. During the latter half of the 19th century, the state had a flag that was the state seal on a white field. It was during the 1890s when the governor of Florida pushed for the addition of St. Andrew’s Cross. This was approved in 1900 and was added to the flag. Since November 6, 1900, the flag featuring the cross and the seal has been in use, although it has been modified slightly. The version that is used today was modified in 1985.

Flag Facts

The current flag was last modified on November 6, 1900. This was following the changes made to the state seal, which is featured prominently on the flag.